Skip to main content

New US study examines contribution of transport to emissions

The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute has published a new report, Transportation emissions in the context of emissions from other economic sectors: 1990-2014, which examines long-term trends in the contribution of transportation to total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, in the context of the other sources of emissions (industry, commercial, residential, and agriculture). Also of interest in this study are the relative contributions of various transportation modes, bo
July 11, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The 5647 University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute has published a new report, Transportation emissions in the context of emissions from other economic sectors: 1990-2014, which examines long-term trends in the contribution of transportation to total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, in the context of the other sources of emissions (industry, commercial, residential, and agriculture).

Also of interest in this study are the relative contributions of various transportation modes, both to transportation emissions and to total emissions. The period examined was from 1990 through 2014. The raw data came from the US 1999 Environmental Protection Agency.

Main findings of the study include the relative contribution to total emissions of the largest emitter, industry, decreased  during the period examined, while those of the transportation, commercial, residential, and agricultural sectors increased. In addition, the relative contribution of emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks to total emissions from all sources increased substantially, while those from passenger cars and light-duty trucks increased only slightly, and those from commercial aircraft stayed about the same.

According to the researchers, there are two main implications of this study. First, because of the major progress in reducing emissions from industry during the period examined, we can expect an increased emphasis on reducing emissions from the other economic sectors, including transportation. Second, because of the large increase in the contribution of medium- and heavy-duty trucks to total emissions, we can expect an increased emphasis on reducing emissions from these classes of vehicles.

Related Content

  • Smart transportation market expected to reach US$176.49 billion in 2021
    July 3, 2015
    According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research, Smart Transportation Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2021, the global smart transportation market was valued at US$45.10 billion in 2014, growing at a CAGR of 18.5 per cent from 2015 to 2021 to account for US$176.49 billion in 2021. The smart transportation market is primarily driven due to the emerging need for smart services across the globe. Moreover, the global increase in sa
  • CityMobil2 selects first seven sites
    May 7, 2014
    The European project CityMobil2 has selected the first round of sites to run demonstrations and showcases of automated road transport systems, which are made up of vehicles operating without a driver in collective mode, under the control of a fleet and infrastructure supervision system.
  • MaaS will be adopted quicker in Europe than in the US: here’s why
    December 5, 2018
    A new report suggests that MaaS will be implemented more quickly in Europe than in the US – but why should this be? Ben Spencer examines the arguments
  • IRD joins Canadian data vault project
    April 9, 2021
    IRD will collect roadside data to improve resilience of Canada’s prairie road network